The ideas associated with the words
carnal, natural and spiritual are various
and generally confused.
And before
defining the above Scripture let us
glance briefly at the meaning and scope
of these words. Natural signifies according to nature. Nature has two principal definitions"The sum of qualities and attributes
which make a thing what it is as distinct
from others"; also, "the regular course of things, the usual order of events."Webster. The first of these is the primary
or strict meaning of the word, but
from custom the latter is generally understood
and used.

Using the word natural in connection
with mankind in its primary sense, the
strict meaning of the expression, thenatural man, would be a man possessed
of the sum of qualities and attributes
which belong to human nature, i.e., aperfect man. According to this strict
definition, there is not a natural man
living in the world to-day; for there is
not one who possesses in perfect measure
all the qualities and attributes which
belong to human nature.
But the general
use of the word natural, would define
the expression, "the natural man,"
thus: a man in harmony with the regular, course of things, and after the usual order of mankind as it exists at present,
which Scripture asserts is a fallen or
depraved condition, and not the condition
which belonged to, and was enjoyed
by, the first of the race.

The word spiritual is used in two
ways also.
The strict or primary meaning
is, "Consisting of spirita spiritual substance or being."
A secondary
meaning, and the one generally used, is,
"Pertaining to the intellectual and higher
endowments of the mindas influenced
by the spirit, controlled and inspired
by the Divine Spirit."
According
to the primary meaning of the word,
to become spiritual would be to become
a spiritual substance or being.
According
to the second definition, it would be
to have the intellect under the guidance
of God's spirit.

The expression, "the law is spiritual,"
cannot be understood according to the
first definitionthe law is not a spiritual
beingbut according to the second.
The Law appeals to the intellectual or
higher endowments of men and represents
the Divine mind or spirit.

In answer, then, to the question:
"Can a natural man keep a spiritual
law?" we answer, It depends upon
what you mean by a natural man. If
you use natural according to the second
definition, your question would in substance
be, "Can a man after the usualorder of men [fallen and imperfect] as
we see them about us to-day, keep the
Law of God which is spiritual and represents
his perfect will?
And our answer
to this question would be, No; the
race has become imperfect in mind and
body, and has lost the original likeness
to such an extent that it is impossible for
them either to fully appreciate that law,
or to keep it.
"There is none righteous;
no, not one."

But if the question be changed so as
to give the word natural its primary
meaning, it in substance would be:
"Could a man possessing all the qualitiesand attributes which BELONG to the
human nature keep a spiritual law?"
To this question we would say, Yes:
God made man in his own image [endowed
with like mental and moral qualities,
though of less scope] for the very
purpose of having him able to appreciate
his lawwhich is spiritual, or which
represents his mind.
It is in this particular
that man differs from, and is superior
to the lower animals.
He was
made capable of appreciating fully the
will of his Creator.

Sin and its consequences have warped
and twisted man's intellect and judgment
by which he was intended to apprehend
God's dealings and laws, to
such an extent, that now, with somewhat
perverted judgment, he, in his
present fallen state, is unable often to
discern the righteousness of God's
rulings, and cannot ever fully keep the
requirements of His perfect law.

This agrees with Paul's argument in
the connection in which this text occurs.
He reasons that the Law was
just and goodin fact, was spiritual, or
represented the mind or judgment of the
perfect Creator, hence, could not be
wrong; and since he and others by nature
(second meaning, i.e., in the condition
usual or common to all) were out
of harmony with that Law, and were
condemned by it, it proved that they
were imperfect and sinful.
He then explains
how it comes that man is out of
harmony with the perfect law, saying:
"I am carnal, [have a fleshly mind, or a
mind conformed to the ordinary or depraved
course of this world], sold under
sin"sold by the first Adam, for a momentary
gratification, into slavery to
sin and its train of consequent evils,
terminating in death.

This is the reason that a variance exists
between the perfect law and man as
he isunder sin.
Not that man, as
originally created in the image of God,
was at variance with the law of God and
unable to keep it, but that, having lost
much of God's image in the fall, and
having become depraved through sin,
he is unable to keep the Law now, becausehe is carnalsold under sin.

The perfect man of God's creationAdamhad the full range of mental and
moral faculties which constituted him
God's image, but of practical knowledge he of course had none, the design
of the Creator being that His (God's)
knowledge should be accessible to the
man.
And so long as Adam was content
to follow his Maker's instructions
perfectly, that is, to be controlled by
God's spirit, or mind, or will, so long he
prospered and was happy.
The fall
was occasioned by his leaning to his
own understanding or judgment, which,
from lack of experience, was defective.

Losing the mind or spirit of God, he
not only was condemned by the Law of
God, which represents or expresses
God's mind, but the race soon began to
lose even that perfection of organism
and mental balance, which at first enabled
Adam to see and appreciate things
from the standpoint of the Creator.
Hence it is said that the mind which
men now have is carnalmade up according
to their earthly circumstances
and surroundingsand not the mind of
God.

OUR NEW MIND.

Believers in Christ, who realize
through his sacrifice the forgiveness of
sins, are exhorted to make a full surrender
of their will (which in all, is carnal) to the will of God: that is, to
cease to look at matters from the depraved
standpoint, and to use every
effort to look at things from God's
standpoint.
This is a much more difficult
matter for us now, than it was for
Adam, because of the bent which sin
has given us constitutionally, which is
offset to some extent by our knowledge of the circumstances as revealed in God's
Word.

As we may become acquainted with
the mind or spirit of our fellow creatures
by attention to their words, so God
has given us His Word that thereby
those who desire to do so, may ascertain
his mind or spirit.
If we consecrate
ourselves fully, and ignore our
own will, to accept of God's will, then
we are said to be spiritually minded. Then we stand in precisely the position
which Adam occupied before disobediencecontrolled by the mind of God.
"To be carnally minded is death, [to be
controlled by any other will than God's
will, brings distress, misery, trouble, and
eventually death, according to the perfect
and unalterable law of God]; but to
be spiritually minded is life and peace." (Rom. 8:6.)
To have a mind in perfect
harmony with that which is perfect
and which is working all things according
to the counsel of his own will, is the
way not only to insure peace and happiness,
but the only way to insure everlasting
life; for God declares that all
who will not be subject to his perfect
will or law, may not live forever, since
such lives would be an injury, both to
themselves and others.

THE SPIRITUAL MIND TO BE RESTOREDTO MANKIND.

Since this condition of spiritual mindedness was one of the things lost by
mankind in the fall, it would surely be
one of the things restored to men by
the Redeemer and Restorer in the times
of restitution of all things.
Mankind
may again come into God's likeness,
and being freed from sin by the Redeemer,
will in due time be freed from
the carnal mind, (of opposition to God,)
which is the result of sin.

This is expressed forcibly by the prophet,
who says of the work of the Times
of Restitution: "I will take away the
stony heart out of your flesh, and I will
give you a heart of flesh."
That is: I
will remove the caloused and depraved
elements of dispositionyour carnalmindand give you a mind such as
you should have as men, such as belongs
to perfect manhood, a heart of
flesh.
Again: "I will put my spirit
within you, and cause you to walk in
my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments
and do them."
"After those days,
saith the Lord, I will put my law in
their inward parts, and write it in their
hearts; and will be their God, and they
shall be my people." (Ezek. 36:26,27,
and Jer. 31:33,34.)

Again it is stated:

"It shall come to pass AFTERWARD,
that I will pour out my spirit upon all
flesh."
[After the Gospel age is ended,
the spiritual mind is to be restored to
all flesh, during the Millennial reign.]
"And in those days I will pour out my
spirit upon the servants and upon the
handmaidens." (Joel 2:28,29.)
[During the Gospel age none can receive God's
spirit except they first become his servants
by consecration, while in the next
age, the carnal mind being removed by
the process of restoration, the acquirement
of the mind of the spirit will be
without difficulty.]

THE SAME SPIRIT PRODUCES DIFFERENTRESULTS UNDER DIFFERENTCIRCUMSTANCES.

Since, then, the Spirit of God is one
Spirit, and is to be in the world in the
next age, as it is in the Church in this
age, the question arises, Will it not produce
the same effects in them (the world)
that it now produces in the Church, and
will not the results be the same? if the
possession of the Spirit by the world
gives evidence as with Adam, of perfect MANHOOD, does it not indicate that the
highest aspirations of the Church under
the same Spirit should be perfect MANHOOD?
or, on the other hand, if the hope
is well founded that the Church through
the possession of the Spirit and as a result
of it, becomes changed from human to SPIRITUAL NATURE (a spiritual body
as well as mind), does it not prove that
if the world comes under the influence
of the same Spirit the result will be the
same to them?

From a surface view one might answer,
Yes.
But we think we can give
the best of logical, as well as Scriptural
reasons for answering, No, the possession
of the same Spirit or mind will not
lead to exactly the same results because
of the difference of circumstances during
the two ages.
The same Spirit, or mind
of God, under the same circumstances, would produce the same results, but
under opposite circumstances would
produce different results.

The mind of God is always in harmony
with justice and love, hence if we
possess that Spirit now, during "this
present evil world," while in contact with
sorrow, trouble, pain, injustice, etc., we
must of necessity oppose them, and use
our influence against them, and this
Spirit of God will lead us not only to
sympathize, but to sacrifice, in our endeavor
to bless and alleviate.
As the
apostles saw the dreary darkness of those
about them, and knew the joy and comfort
and peace of heart it would give
them to know of a Ransom by Jesus
and a coming blessing upon all through
him, they sacrificed much to

"Tell the whole world the blessed tidings,"

Because led of the same Spirit or mind
of God which prompted the Father to
send the only begotten that the world
through him might live, and which inspired
our Lord when he "gave himself
a ransom for all," therefore the apostle
could exclaim even in the midst of tribulation,
"Woe is unto me if I preach not
the gospel." (1 Cor. 9:16.)
Under the
influence of that Spirit he could take
pleasure in nothing else.
Possessed of
that Spirit, his own comfort, ease, pleasure,
honor or wealth appeared as loss
and dross, to be gladly abandoned for
the privilege of being a co-worker with
God, and joining his life in sacrifice to
the Master's.
And in proportion as WE possess the Spirit or mind of God, we
will so view matters and so act, so long
as ignorance, blindness, trouble and sin
exist.

If the miseries, etc., of the present
should continue during the coming age,
the Spirit of God would ever prompt in
the same way to its alleviation, and the
results would still be sacrifice among all
possessing the Spirit: but it will not be so.
With the end of this age the predominance
of evil will cease; and with it the [R637 : page 4] necessity and opportunity of suffering by
opposing it, will cease.
The time of suffering
will have given place to the time
of rejoicing and glory.
Glory to God in
the highest, glory to Christ and the
Church, and on earth peace and good
will toward men, with naught to molest
or make them afraid.
The Scripture
will be fulfilled: "In His day the righteous [right-doerthose possessing God's
Spirit] shall flourish."
Whereas, now, "Whosoever will live Godly [according
to the Spirit of God] shall suffer
persecution."

Thus we easily and quickly show that
the possession of the Spirit of God would
have different effects according to the
circumstancesone time necessitating
and producing suffering, sacrifice and
dishonor, and at another the very reverse, blessing and honor.

It only remains for us to show from
Scripture, that different rewards result
from the possession of and obedience to
the Spirit of God, which we now proceed
to do briefly.

When the difference of circumstances
is kept in mindthe favorable circumstances
of those in the coming age, when
Satan and evil is bound, and blindness,
ignorance, and depravity, are being removed,
and when the full knowledge of
the Lord is flooding the earth as the
waters cover the sea, and the unfavorable
circumstances of the present age,
when Satan uses his blinding arts and
ensnarements, when we must walk by
faith and not by sight, when to have and
exercise the Spirit of God demands self-crucifixion,
self-denial, dishonor and adversity,
are kept in mind, who can wonder that God has provided "some better thing for us" than for the world in general.
(Heb. 11:40.)
Not that the world's
portion will not be good, yea PERFECT,
but that our portion will be better inasmuch
as it will be a perfection on a
higher plane of existence than the human,
even a partaking of the divine nature. (2 Pet. 1:4.)
Do you question how both could be PERFECT yet one
better than the other?
Let us illustrate:
When Jesus was "made so much BETTER
than the angels," think you that it implies
that they are degraded or imperfect? Nay every creation of God in its
perfection is very good, though there are
various orders or kinds, and the perfection
of each differs from the other.
So
with the perfect man RESTORED to God's
image and controlled by his Spirit, he
will still be "a little lower than the angels"
in comparison, (Ps. 8:5,) while
the glorified Church like her Head and
Lord will be "so much better than the
angels," inasmuch as with her Lord she
becomes partaker of the divine nature, which, though no more perfect than angelic
nature, both being perfect, is nevertheless
superior as a higher order of
natureabove all.

The proof of a different reward for
those who during this Gospel Age suffer
with Christ is briefly stated thus: All
the promises to Israel according to the
flesh, and the world, which they in figure
represented (the priesthood excepted,
who represented the Church,) are earthly
promises, adapted to perfect human
beings, viz.: the land, fruitful fields,
abundance of peace, restoration, etc.
(Gen. 13:14,15; Exod. 20:12; Micah 4:4.)

The promises to the Church are the reverseon earth suffering, poverty, affliction,
persecution, self-denial, and in
the future, heavenly glory, honor, power
and association with and likeness to
Christ Jesus.
They have the privilege
of not only suffering with him, but of
sharing with him in the restoration of
mankind.